A UK-based doctor has been accused of conspiring with Ike Ekweremadu, a Nigerian ex-lawmaker facing trial in the UK for trafficking and organ harvesting, and his wife to bring a homeless man into the country to harvest his kidney for their daughter.
Obinna Obeta, 50, of Southwark, south London, has been charged under the Modern Slavery Act, according to the Daily Mail.
Obeta, who appeared in Bexley Magistrates’ Court on July 13, is accused of arranging the travel of Davi Ukpo, 21, from Nigeria to the UK.
He is also accused of conspiring with 60-year-old Ike Ekweremadu – a barrister and former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate – to arrange or facilitate the travel of the man with a view to him being exploited through organ harvesting.
Newsclick Nigeria had earlier reported that Ekweremadu was charged by the UK Metropolitan Police with conspiracy to facilitate the travel of another person for organ harvesting.
It is alleged Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, 55, brought the 21-year-old man from Nigeria to the UK.
Prosecutors claim they planned to have his kidney removed so it could be given to their daughter.
The man is said to have refused to consent to the procedure after undergoing tests at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north-west London, according to Daily Mail.
The couple were arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 21 after arriving on a flight from Turkey. They appeared at the Old Bailey Friday for a bail hearing.
The couple deny wrongdoing or that there was a criminal conspiracy, and claim no exploitation occurred.
Prosecutor Tim Probert-Wood had said, “The case began on 5 May 2022 when the complainant presented himself at Staines Police Station and claimed he had been transported to this country for the purpose of his kidney being removed.
“He arrived on 20th February 2022 and was taken to Royal Free Hospital where tests were conducted.
“For the purpose he was there he did not consent to the taking of his kidney.
“He returned to the house he was staying and his treatment changed dramatically.
“He described being treated effectively as a slave.”
Daily Mail reports that all three defendants, who are in custody, are due to appear at the Old Bailey on August 4.